Access to Essential Medicines Grant Competition - Request for Proposals

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Access to Essential Medicines Grant Competition - Request for Proposals

Open Society Institute Public Health Program

Access to Essential Medicines Grant Competition

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS - due July 16, 2007

Introduction

Despite advances in medical science, safe and affordable medicines

remain inaccessible in many developing countries. According to the World Health

Organization, 30% of the world's population lacks access to essential

medicines—estimated at between 1.3 and 2.1 billion people. Current procurement

mechanisms, lack of transparency, intellectual property protections, and legal

restrictions constitute major barriers to needed medications in many parts of

the world. The human cost of these policies is enormous with developing

countries showing an average life expectancy of 14 years less than that for

developed countries.

The creation of the World Health Organization Commission on

Intellectual Property Rights, Innovation, and Public Health in 2003 and

subsequent Intergovernmental Working Group on Intellectual Property, Innovation

and Health recognizes this urgency and signals increased global interest in

access issues and innovation for neglected diseases. Civil society engagement

and the voices

of the global South are crucial for a genuine shift in framework.

Currently, there are a handful of Southern organizations carrying out cutting-

edge access to medicines work in their home countries.

However, budget and staffing constraints limit their participation in

international and regional arenas and their ability to increase public awareness

and advocacy at the national level.

In an effort to strengthen needed capacity, the Open Society

Institute Public Health and Information Programs are seeking applications from

qualified organizations interested in receiving institutional support for their

work on access to essential medicines.

Project Summary

Funding is available for organizations with a mandate and demonstrated capacity

to advance policy and civil society engagement related to access to medicines.

Funding for access to medicines work will be unrestricted and can be

used for salaries, overhead, and projects of the applicants' choosing.

Requests of up to $75,000 annually will be considered. OSI anticipates renewing

this support for a three year period.

If requested, technical assistance will be offered throughout the

length of the grant period. OSI may further sponsor seminars and meetings for

grantees to share lessons learned.

Who Should Apply

Legally registered NGOs based in one of the following countries:

Brazil, India, Kenya, Malaysia, South Africa, and Thailand.

How to Apply

Interested organizations should submit an application no later than

Monday, July 16, 2007. All applications must be completed in English.

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Submission of applications by email is preferred, but materials sent

by fax or mail will also be accepted. Applications should be submitted to

OSI's Access to Medicines project in New York:

By email: jli@...

By fax: +1 (646) 557 2550

By mail: Open Society Institute

ATTN: Jane Li

400 West 59th Street, 4th Floor

New York, NY 10019

USA

Selection process

A grant selection committee consisting of global and regional experts

and advocates will review applications and recommend a list of semi-

finalists.

Applicants will be notified of first-round results no later than

August 13, 2007. Applicants will be notified of final selection results no

later than September 14, 2007.

Please direct questions to Jane Li at jli@...

Application instructions

This grant application consists of 6 parts:

• Part 1. Contact information

• Part 2. Detailed Proposal

• Part 3. Technical Assistance

• Part 4. Institutional Information

• Part 5. CVs

• Part 6. Budget

Part 1. Contact information

Name of NGO submitting application

NGO contact person (name and title)*

Street address

City

Postal code

Country

Phone number of contact person

Fax number of contact person

E-mail address of contact person

Other collaborating institutions (list all other institutions)

Total funding requested from OSI

Other funding for AEM work at NGO

Total budget of NGO

*Each NGO must designate a contact person who will manage grant funds

and communication with OSI.

Part 2. Proposal (no more than 10 pages)

Please provide a detailed description of your organization's goals,

projects, outcomes, and needs that includes the following information:

Organizational mission, rationale, and access to medicines mandate

Provide an overall statement of purpose for your organization and why

your work is relevant to your local context and the aims of this project;

discuss the major challenges to obtaining access to medicines in your country.

Previous accomplishments on access to medicines issues Describe two previously

completed AEM projects that are representative of your

organization's goals, partners, and method of operation.

Potential future work to build upon previous activity describe the work your

organization would undertake if provided with unrestricted institutional

support, including ongoing research and advocacy, special projects, proposed

campaigns, and institutional growth.

How do you intend to impact change on AEM policy issues? With what

organizations do you intend to collaborate on these projects?

Organizational vision and growth Describe your organization's long-term goals

and the resources and other factors

needed to reach those goals.

Part 3. Technical Assistance

Identify specific kinds of technical assistance (e.g. governance and

management, strategic planning, research and documentation, monitoring, media

use, advocacy in international and regional fora) that would allow your

organization to build on its previous accomplishments. Please be as detailed

and specific as possible.

Part 4. CVs

Include CVs for key project implementers listed in the budget.

Part 5. Institutional Information

Please attach an official letter certifying that your NGO is

registered in your country.

Part 6. Budget

Budgets should not exceed $75,000. Funding will be proportional to the local

exchange rate and the budget of the organization.

Please provide your 2007 budget for AEM work.

Outline how you propose to utilize OSI core funding. The funding is

unrestricted and can be used for salaries, overhead, and projects of

the applicants' choosing.

Please provide financial statements for your NGO from the

past two years.

Please include and describe any institutional and/or project-

based funding your organization is currently receiving or expects to

receive in the next year. Please specify if funding is provided from the

pharmaceutical industry, trade associations, or other corporate sources.

The Open Society Institute

The Open Society Institute (OSI) is a private operating and

grantmaking foundation based in New York City that serves as a hub of the Open

Society Network, a group of autonomous foundations and organizations in over 50

countries. This network implements a range of initiatives that aim to promote

open society by shaping government policy and supporting education, media,

public health and human and women's rights, as well as social, legal and

economic reform.

Background information on the Open Society Institute (OSI) can be

found at www.soros.org.

The Access to Medicines Project

The Access to Medicines project supports efforts to increase access

to essential medicines to developing countries and marginalized populations.

Work has focused on three key areas: transparency and monitoring of the

pharmaceutical industry; procurement mechanisms, and intellectual property. The

project promotes civil society engagement with these issues and actively

supports a civil society platform around the WHO Working Group on innovation for

neglected

diseases. The project works closely with OSI's palliative care and

harm reduction initiatives.

This project is located within OSI's Public Health Program.

Additional information on the Public Health Program can be found at

www.soros.org/health.

The Information Program

The Information Program aims to enhance the ability to access,

exchange, and produce knowledge and information for key open society

constituencies and disadvantaged groups, especially in the poorer parts of the

world.

It further supports the use of new tools and techniques to empower civil society

in national, regional, and global arenas.

More information can be found at:

http://www.soros.org/initiatives/information.

Please direct any questions to Jane Li at jli@....

Public Health Programs

Open Society Institute

____________________

Revati Chawla

Programme Officer

HIV AIDS Practice Team

Regional Center Colombo

Sri Lanka.

Tel: +94 (11)4526400, extn: 153.

Fax: +94 (11) 4526410

http://www.undprcc.lk

e-mail: <revati.chawla@...>